LONDON CALLING

Angus shook hands with each of the boys and greeted them.

"You're very welcome," Angus told them. "Glad I could help. That's what I was taught family should do. The Donohue you mentioned is my grandfather. When you come to stay with us, I'm sure you'll meet him. You know, now that Ruby and I are married, in a way, that makes him your grandfather too. If you need anything, you let us know."

Angus was confused when the bell rang for classes since school wasn't to start for another week. What were the bells for? Oh well, none of his business, he guessed. Then Ruby told him it was time to go home.

"Marcus," Angus motioned to him. Angus wasn't in the mood to go home. He wasn't in the mood to stay at Hogwarts either, but he wasn't in the mood to be taken back and shut back up in the duplex either. He let Marcus take charge and get them out of the school, back in the carriages, back to the station, and then, after they returned the carriages, Marcus apparated them all back to the duplex. Mission accomplished. The boys were safe. He was starting to get frustrated with not being able to go outside because of ruby's father. He sighed.

"Andrew," Angus asked. "would you be kind enough to brew a fresh pot of coffee, please? I guess I'd better get back to work. Marcus, is Tyler outside?" Marcus looked outside carefully.

"Actually, no. He isn't," Marcus frowned. "I wonder where he is."

"Hopefully looking for a place to live," Angus said.

"Can I help you change out of that suit?" Marcus offered.

"Yes, please? I don't need it here," Angus said.

"Certainly," Marcus said. "Excuse us, Ruby." Marcus took Angus upstairs to change.

(i'm presuming you're talking about lunch since their appointment at hogwarts was at 10 am.)

Angus was expecting to put his sweats back on, and Marcus told him that Ruby wanted to go out for lunch to Sparks. Well, since Angus had helped in the creation of Sparks and still helped with the creation of dishes for its menu, he knew Sparks was a casual place. Marcus helped him change to a pair of stone colored trousers and a simple pale yellow v neck cashmere sweater that he pushed up the sleeves on, and a pair of deck shoes.

"How are we going to make that work when Robert told us not to make side trips and to come straight back?" Angus asked Marcus.

"Well, you did come straight back," Marcus said with a smile as he helped Angus dress. "You're just going out again for a short bit. I think Ruby noticed how much you really didn't want to be shut in the house again so soon, and she probably thinks its worth the risk to let you out of the house for a bit. Don't worry. I'll have you covered. Since Brian's with Khaat today, I have free time until 5."

"I don't want to be moody, Marcus," he told him.

"Look, Mate, I would be more than a little moody if I were in your shoes. If you weren't so crazy about her, I would tell you it is an incredible mismatch for you to be dating someone like her when her father is a career hit man," he laughed. "That is a ridiculous match up for an auror like you. But in your own way, you've separated her from her father, I think."

"I have," Angus said.

"But even so, you've always been incredibly physically active, and that's not on your plate right now. Not to mention, you're engaged, and you've just found out you're going to be a father--and you can't protect your family the way you want. That's a lot to have to cope with. I can't blame you if it makes you a little cagey, and I don't think she can blame you either. That's why she wants to take the chance to go."

"And if he finds us?"

"We'll deal with it," Marcus said.

"If he comes, protect her first," Angus said.

"I don't think we're going to have to make that sort of a choice," Marcus said. "Why don't you just enjoy your lunch and let me worry about security? After all, I am the protections expert, am I not?"

"Yeah, I know," Angus sighed, trying to relax.

"And then, this afternoon, you can work on the room for your two wards. It'll give you something to do while Ruby works," Marcus said. "Shall we?" He took Angus back downstairs. "I think he's ready for a lunch at the bistro. Nice dress, Ruby."

"I like the dress--very much," Angus told her. "Thanks for thinking about lunch out."

"I'll be doing the porting," Marcus told her, "and there aren't other guards but me, and, well, Andrew, if he has to step in. Angus is armed, so he isn't entirely helpless either. I appreciate you wanting Angus protected, but I don't plan on losing anyone."

They ported to Sparks, and the staff recognized Marcus and Angus immediately. Khaat and Marcus had mentioned to them Angus's difficulties since Angus hadn't been sending in any new dishes or recipes. They offered Angus "Khaat's table," which was a table near the kitchen doors to allow her to slip into the back if she needed to try to get out rather quickly. That sounded fine to Marcus because the table also allowed him a full view of the restaurant and would allow them to not have to be the center of attention. Marcus and Andrew took the table that was in front of them so that anyone who wanted to get to Angus and Ruby would have to get past Marcus first--which wasn't likely to happen.

It had been a long time since Angus had been in here. He watched as the wait staff still did the animated spark charms to delight the customers, especially the kids. And, Jonathan's spark wand candies were selling well all through the customers' meals so they could do their own spark charms at the table. The place was busy, but then again, it always was at meal time.

Lizzie, the head chef, came out and gave Angus a hug and a friendly peck on the cheek.

"It's about time you came in again," she was delighted. "And is this Ruby that we've all heard so much about? It's about time you brought her in to meet us."

"Hello, Lizzie," Angus smiled. "It is. Ruby, this is Lizzie. She's the head chef here. So, Lizzie, what's your special today?"

"Your Texas brisket sandwiches with barbeque sauce, and chips. Or, an American hot brown."

"A hot brown is an American open faced sandwich, made of turkey, ham, and bacon, covered with cheese, and then a mornay sauce. Sparks serves it on toast made from fresh baked bread, and most people want theirs with mashed potatoes, but you can get what you like," Angus told Ruby.

"Well, thank you," Lizzie said to Ruby, "but by the time his recipes get to me, he's got them so perfected and well organized that they're easy to make. He's a perfectionist in the kitchen, that one, but I bet you know that already."

"What are your soups today, Lizzie?" Angus asked.

"Ah, well, now, there, I took a liberty or two today. We've got a kettle of cockaleekie, a pot of mullagatawny, and a fresh vegetable soup," she told them.

"I'll have the brisket sandwich," Angus said. "And do put the tab for Marcus's table on mine, please."

"I'll do no such thing," she said. "Your tab and theirs is on the house. It's a delight just having you back. And save room for dessert. I'll send you both a dessert flight."

"Sounds fine."

"Now, she's drinking juice. What are you having?"

"I'd really like a pint of a stout."

"Coming right up," she smiled, hurrying back to the kitchen.

"Sparks was Khaat's idea," Angus said. "She opened it back before she married her first husband, but after she came to live with us, Brian and I have plunged right in with her. It was a lot of fun, testing new recipes for Lizzie to make good use of whatever was seasonal. I did need to get out of the house. Thanks, Ru."

"I hadn't thought about names yet," Angus smiled when she mentioned the foals. "Those unicorns have been trying for a long time to have a foal. I'm glad that's finally happened for them. They lost a foal, not this past winter but the winter before. We weren't sure they were going to be able to have another, so I'm hoping I get to see this one up close before its full grown.

"Changing subjects, what do you think about lofting the beds in the room for your brothers? That would allow us to put in some comfortable furniture for them, like some decent club chairs or a loveseat and a chair maybe, some bookshelves, or some things for them to do on rainy or snowy days. Some place that maybe they'd like to be."

"Your brothers need some sense that they belong somewhere," he said to Ruby, knowing how Sam and Victor were probably were feeling right about now. "I don't want their room to be just a guest room with two beds. They need to know they belong."

Lizzie brought their meals herself, glad to serve them.

"Here's your hot brown, Ruby," Lizzie said. "And since you didn't order the mash, I brought you a dish of our berry salad. Khaat put it on the menu in honor of Abbey, but everyone seems to like the originality of having a mixed berry salad with a sparkling dressing."

"The dressing is a reduction of the mixed berry juice with a simple syrup with some basil mixed in, and just a bit of a sparkling water," Angus told Ruby. "I did it for Abbey's birthday last year, and everyone loved it. So Khaat brought the recipe here."

"And, so you know, I did these brisket sandwiches with that bourbon barbeque sauce you sent me," Lizzie told him as she served his brisket sandwich.

"You did? That's a great idea," he said. "I hadn't thought of using it for the brisket."

"Well, we're calling it our Chuck Wagon sandwich, and I wasn't sure the name would work because I doubted many wizards had seen many cowboy movies, but clearly I was wrong. They all seem to understand the name play, and just about any time we serve one, someone at the table has to do a cowboy imitation," she laughed.

"I refuse to do that," he told her. "But, if you want to run a promotion, I'll get you a genuine ten gallon cowboy hat, and you can give a free dessert to anyone who orders a brisket sandwich and does a cowboy imitation." She laughed out loud at the idea.

"You're on," she said. "You can get us a real cowboy hat?"

"Not a problem," Angus said. "I'll get it to you."

"Will Khaat care?"

"Not if she can come and watch," Angus said.